As the Rain Falls
by JT Arnold
Summary: The death of Draco's disowned brother sparks his interest in his niece and nephews. There's only one problem, Hermione Granger is their Godmother. Will they be able to work together to give these children a stable home or will they drive each other crazy mad?
1. Ashes to Ashes

The air was heavy and damp with mist. The ground moist, wet from recent rain. Dark, solemn clouds lurked from above, perfectly matching the mood of the crowd dressed in black below.

With hands linked together in mourning support, the group stood in a circle for a moment of silence, remembering a special person who they had recently lost.

Loud sniffs and an occasional sob could be heard every so few seconds, each person unable to control their grief.

A child stirred next Hermione Granger on her left. The three-year-old Natasha toed the dirt beneath her. She was bored, too young to fully comprehend that she was saying her final goodbye to her deceased father. Her golden, white locks of hair had gotten loose from the braid that Hermione had tied them up in, and the wind was causing a strand to itch against her face. The little girl slipped her hand from Hermione's hold to brush it from her skin.

On the other side of Hermione, eight-year-old Anthony hollowly stared at the coffin that enclosed the body of his father. The boy hadn't said much of anything since the announcement of the man's death. He had taken the awful news the hardest out of all three of the man's children.

Curtis was on the other side of Anthony. At thirteen, he didn't want everyone to think he was a sniveling baby, and he continuously kept wiping the tears quickly from his puffy, reddening eyes.

"Curty needs a tissue, Auntie Hermione," announced Natasha after hearing her eldest brother sniff.

"I do not," argued Curtis in a whisper. His defending statement was poor as he sported a stuffed nose, and it mildly affected his speech.

Hermione tapped his shoulder, a tissue was discreetly folded into her hand. Curtis took it when he realized this.

"Who are they?" Scarlett Campbell asked, directing Hermione's attention to a couple of people off in the distance. She had been both Hydrus and Hermione's friend for the past four years and had helped the latter arrange Hydrus's funeral. She did not recognize the two visitors. Hermione did though. The platinum blond hair was a dead giveaway.

Hermione looked away from them, frowning in confusion. It was odd that they would travel across an ocean to pay their respects to a person that they had written out of their lives over fifteen years ago.

Maybe they had come to their senses though. Who was Hermione to judge?

She had been Hydus's best friend, that's who. She had been there for most of his life, including the time that his family had disowned him because he had the 'misfortune' of falling in love with a Muggle.

Hermione and Hydrus had vacationed in Canada together one summer, fifteen years ago. There, he had met Emily, and it was love at first sight. He had proposed to her before the month was even up.

The Malfoys hadn't taken the news well at all. Hydrus was their first born, and he was supposed to do everything by the book. That didn't involve him marrying a woman who didn't even have a single drop of magic in her blood. They wanted him to marry someone respectable. Someone _pure_.

Hydrus just wasn't like that though, and he refused to comply. His defiance angered them, and they quickly denounced him from their name.

Hydus had been so upset at the time. Hermione had never seen him in such pain before. He truly had hoped that they would accept his news with open arms. Hermione thought he was delusional for thinking it, but she didn't wanted to dampen his hopes, so she never said anything differently.

The man sent letters home after his move to Canada to be with his newly wedded wife, but they always were returned unanswered. Not one had been opened. None of them cared to know how he was doing in life. Hydrus no longer existed to them.

Hermione couldn't help wondering why, after all this time, they would show up now, but often enough, death tends to change people.

"Stay here with Scarlett," told Hermione to the children, and she made her way across the mushy field to the two who stood far off.

They saw her coming and hastily made to leave.

"You may come join the rest of us, if you wish!" she called out.

Mrs. Malfoy and the youngest Malfoy Draco exchanged looks, but did nothing more. They seemed to not know what to do either way.

"He would have liked knowing you came," Hermione added gently. She really had no good things to say about the bigoted Purebloods, but Hydrus would have treated them with decency, so she felt compelled to do the same.

"We're fine here," declared Mrs. Malfoy.

Hermione sensed that they wanted to be left alone. She gave a nod. "There's going to be a gathering after the service at the local Community Center. There will be food, and… well, he would have wanted us to have a good time and remember him in his best of times."

Hermione watched the woman's jaw tighten. "Yes," croaked Mrs. Malfoy. "Yes, he would have."

Hydrus's brother added nothing to the conversation. He placed an arm around his mother's shoulders, attempting to comfort her in a very stoic way.

It was not surprising for Hermione to see this, the Malfoys (and several other Pureblood families in England) didn't show their affection for others where the public eye could see them. Hydrus explained that it was because the reporters could twist the event into an ugly story.

It was relieving that Hydrus hadn't been like his family at all. The man had been kind and sensitive, in both public and private.

Hermione turned from them, having no more to say and feeling immensely uncomfortable.

"His mother and brother," she informed Scarlett before the curious woman could even get the question out.

Scarlett's dark eyebrows lifted. If the children hadn't been present, she would have made a derogatory comment.

"It surprised me too," said Hermione, taking Natasha's hand and excusing herself after the child had whined about having to use the loo.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"Did you see her?" asked Narcissa wistfully. Her grip on Draco's arm tightened with her excitement.

"Mother, you are stopping the blood flow to my arm!"

"Sorry!" She released her grip, but her eyes didn't falter from the young girl that was being lead away by the Granger woman. "Oh, she's such a darling little one!"

"Yes, she's cute," concurred Draco automatically. He wasn't a fan of little girls, but Narcissa had always wanted a daughter and hadn't been fortunate enough to bear one of her own. He could understand her instant attachment to the child.

Draco eyes set on the eldest of his brother's children. The young teenager had the family hair, but he could see that he had coloured the tips of it with a green dye. Draco disapproved of this - no respectable wizard coloured their hair with such silly colours - but that could be changed later.

The middle child appeared to be a little slow, and unresponsive, but Draco gave him the benefit of the doubt; perhaps that was his way of reacting to the recent loss of his father. He did not have the light blond hair like his siblings, and instead it was a darker colour, almost brunette.

"Should we go to the gathering?"

"I don't exactly feel like socializing," muttered Draco as they started for the exit of the cemetery. "But if you feel so inclined to go there, I'll take you."

"Thank you, and I do."

Draco refrained from sighing, unwilling to show his annoyance. The news of his brother's suicide had been a shock. Though, after the death of Hydrus's wife, Draco should have known something was up with him; the letters had stopped coming months ago.

He had read every letter that had been sent. He made a copy of each one and had hidden them away so that no one knew he had them.

It was only when he found out about the death of his brother did he finally come clean to his mother. Narcissa broke down immediately upon hearing the news, devastated that Hydrus was gone. The chance of them getting back together was gone.

Lucius wasn't so heartbroken. Actually, Draco wondered if his father even had a heart at all.

" _It does not matter, Narcissa, Hydrus is no longer part of our family, he made his choice years ago."_

" _No_ you _made the choice, Lucius! And I shouldn't have let you control me like you have all these years!"_

Lucius and Narcissa haven't spoke to each other since last week. Draco had an idea that their marriage was over.

"We must go retrieve them," said Narcissa when Draco informed her that Hydrus had children. "They'll need us now that they've lost both their parents!"

Draco wasn't exactly ready to raise any children. His own wife had divorced him five years ago when it was discovered that he couldn't have children of his own. Narcissa and Lucius both had been hounding him to find another wife just to keep the bloodline going, but he never had the guts to tell them that he would never be able to sire one of his own.

These three children were the only thing left of Hydrus, and Draco didn't care if they were only Halfblood. They were the closest thing he was ever going to have when it came to having children. Now that they were all orphans, it was only right that he offer his home to them.

And if Lucius had a problem with that, well then, the man could be heirless for all he cared.

Wifeless too. Narcissa was definitely onboard. Nothing was going to stop her now that she had set eyes on the littlest one.

At the gathering, Draco learned that Granger was attached to the children, and they matched her affection, lingering around her, as if afraid to wander off. She had been a part of their lives since the beginning - Draco knew this from his brother's letters - and she had been named their Godmother.

Draco had known Granger from school. She had been an exceedingly annoying know-it-all who did absolutely no wrong. In their fifth year, Hydrus asked her to a banquet that the school was hosting for Prefects and Headboys and Headgirls. The two had been friends since.

Draco wasn't sure if his brother and Granger had been romantically involved, the letters never said so. Hydrus implied that they had only been friends.

It took no time at all for Draco to realize that taking the children back with him may not end up being be a simple task. Granger accepted her Godmother status easily.

"Draco," worry clung to Narcissa's voice.

"It'll be alright," comforted Draco. "We have rights to the children."

"But Godmothers do too," she whispered, clinging onto Draco arm.

"Not if our Pueeblood name is on the brink of going extinct."

"But it's not - "

Draco sat his mother down at a table. He tapped her hand gently and looked seriously into her eyes. "I can't have any children, Mother. It's why Astoria threw me to the curb."

Narcissa shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, Draco…!" she breathed out. "Oh, how terrible! I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"These will be the only grandchildren you'll ever have, and I promise you that they will be coming home with us."

Narcissa teared up. "You are a good boy, Draco."

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"You need to eat Anthony," said Hermione softly. She pet back his hair, frowning in concern when he didn't respond and continued to stare at his dinner plate.

"It's Daddy's favourite!" Natasha used her tiny fingers to pick up a lone string of spaghetti and held it above her wide-open mouth.

"Use your fork!" scolded Hermione, holding out the said item for her to take.

"I don't feel like eating either, Aunt Hermione," stated Curtis, pushing away his plate.

"Alright, well maybe later then." Hermione felt the same, and she didn't think it would be fair to force them to eat when she hadn't had anything herself that day.

"Granger, would you mind if I had a word with you?"

Hermione looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing at the other side of the table. She nodded. "Sure. Curtis, please watch your brother and sister. I'll be back in a few."

Curtis took her seat after she got up so that he was in between Natasha and Anthony.

"Do you know if my brother had a will?" Draco wasted no time, speaking as soon as they had stepped outside.

"A will?" asked Hermione slowly. Anger bubbled up in her when it dawned on her exactly what he was asking. "You came here to see if he _left_ you anything?! How dare you! You _greedy_ , selfish worm! I knew you hadn't change after all these years - "

"You've jumped to conclusions, Granger," interrupted the man, holding up his hands. "I was wondering if you knew what he wanted of the children."

Hermione's mouth clamped shut. She was surprised over what he said. Guilt plunged into her gut. "Sorry!" she stressed, running a hand through her hair. "I just - I haven't had any sleep lately. I'm running on strict emotion right now, and even that is pretty much dried up!"

"Not from what I can see."

"The children?" she asked, averting back to the previous subject, ignoring his dry retort.

"The will, specifically," he corrected. "I'm intrigued to know if he thought to name them a guardian before he…" Draco didn't finish. He uncomfortably cleared his throat. "I would hope that he was pre-prepared for his outcome."

"I'm not sure he had one - actually, I haven't thought to look, like I said, I haven't had much time. This was so - " Suddenly Hermione couldn't speak. Her voice was lost. She covered her face, sobbing. "I'm sorry," she said a moment later when she had the strength the speak again. She took out a tissue from the pocket of her suit. "I'm just a mess! I don't know what to do. I just lost my best friend. Those darling children just lost their father, one won't eat, and one doesn't completely realize what's even happening. I just - " She took a deep breath, catching herself.

This was Draco Malfoy, one of the most insensitive men she knew, and she was blubbering away like a pathetic schoolgirl.

He hadn't changed the expression on his face since he asked the first question. She knew he was feelingless toward other people, but how could he look at her as if she had said nothing at all?!

Hermione stood up straight and took a quivering deep breath. "I'll see about that will," she whispered, unable to manage anything stronger.

Draco nodded. "Send me an owl when you do." He stuck his hand into a pocket and pulled out a card. "I'm staying at the bed and breakfast on East."

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"I would have told him to hit the road," said Scarlett that night after the children were in bed, and Hermione had explained what Draco had wanted to talk with her about.

Hermione was looking around Hydrus's computer area for a possible will.

"We both know Hydrus wanted a good relationship with his family. If the Malfoys want to be in the children's life, I'm not going to stop them. Obviously, they have an interest."

Scarlett huffed. "It's a bit late for that!"

"Better than never though." Hermione backed away from the desk. She had just searched in every drawer, but there was no will in any of them.

"It's so weird being here now," said Scarlett quietly. "I'm expecting him to walk into the room with a ginormous bowl of popcorn and ask us what movie we're going to watch tonight."

"And then he'll grumble and tease us about the one we picked."

"But he always enjoyed them!"

Scarlett's smile slowly faded in sadness. "He must have really missed her."

Hermione nodded. It was suddenly hard to breathe. She sat down in the desk chair.

"I knew he missed Emily, but not _that_ much."

"Hydrus was putting on a good show," informed Hermione. "He didn't want us worrying about him. I confronted him about it, but he pretended that everything was fine." She shook her head. "There was nothing we could do. Nothing we could have done would have stopped him from doing it."

"How could he do it though? Didn't he think of Natasha, Anthony and Curtis?"

"I'm sure he did, but he…" Hermione sighed. "I'm don't know what was going on in his head these past few months. I wish I knew, but even if I did, it probably wouldn't have helped. He was sick with grief. Emily was his everything."

"Shows what he thought of the children though."

"We both know he loved them," Hermione defended Hydrus. "I don't doubt he tried everything to help himself, and I'm not going to judge him for something that I can't relate to. I wasn't in his place, but I do know that he did everything for those children, and he wouldn't have done what he did if he wasn't sick."

"So do you think there's even a will here?"

Hermione shrugged. "All we can do is look and hope that he wrote one."

"And if he didn't, what then?"

"I'll see what options there are, and then pick the one that's best for the children."

"You're their Godmother, Hermione, aren't you going to look after them?"

Hermione's eyes fell down to her hands. She intertwined her fingers and thought.

Of course she was going to look after them. She had been helping out since Emily had lost her fight against cancer. She loved those kids, and they loved her. She just didn't know how she was going to manage it by herself. It would take a long time for them all to heal, and right now she felt incredibly overwhelmed with all that was happening.

"I'm going to do the best I can."

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"She won't be able to care for them on her own, at least not right now. She's going to need some breathing space, Grangers already having meltdowns, and it's only just begun."

"It's better if we take them then," said Narcissa.

"If there's no will, I have copies of the letters showing that Hydrus would have liked his children to know us. Granger always does what's right - or rather she used to. If she's anything like she was when I knew of her at Hogwarts, she'll let us have them."

"But what if she's too attached or if she takes her Godmother status too seriously?"

"Then things could get ugly, and Granger wouldn't want to drag them into a custody battle; with our financial status, blood relation to the children and my medical issue, it would be an easy win for us - her Godmother title would be worth as much as a Leprechaun's gold coin."

"I feel we should compromise with her," said Narcissa hesitantly. "I don't want to upset those babies anymore than they already are, and they like her alot."

"What are you proposing?"

"Your home is spacious enough for everyone."

"Mother, are you implying that I _marry_ this woman?!" Draco was repulsed over the thought.

Narcissa laughed. "Goodness, no! She could have her own suite, of course! Granger could be a considerable amount of help. As you know, I'm no spring chicken, and you've never had children before. Children are a lot of work - a lot of _physical_ work."

"Isn't that why we have house elves?"

Narcissa sighed and clicked her tongue. "They need human interaction, Draco."

Draco pressed his lips together, thinking over the idea. "It's not a terrible plan, but will she go for it?"

"And that's the real question, dear."


	2. The Wizard's Stew

"I couldn't find a will," imparted Hermione a few days later. "I even tried a searching charm as a last resort."

"I would have assumed you knew that those types of spells don't work on missing items."

Hermione smirked. She expected Draco to make such a remark. He had always been a smartass.

"Of course I know that." She didn't care to explain how she could get the charm to work on missing items; he wouldn't understand the concept of an Internet search engine which was what the spell had been adapted from. Hermione could tell that Draco was waiting for her to reveal how she used the search spell, but all she did was keep the smile plastered to her face.

If he wanted to know so bad, he could just simply ask.

"That poses a problem," said Draco. He walked across the suite he was staying in and poured two cups of coffee from a metal pot.

"The spell poses a problem?" asked Hermione, taking the cup that he offered out to her. "Thanks." She was mildly surprised that he had done so. It did not seem like something a wealthy, pampered man would do.

"No, not the spell. The children need guardians, Granger. They cannot raise themselves."

"Right," she agreed. She sipped from the cup and almost hummed in delight. It was the best coffee she had ever had. It had a lovely mild flavour with a hint of dark chocolate. "This has an amazing flavour!"

"It's a Brazilian espresso blend. Thought you could use it. You look like you just crawled out of a grave."

"You're the only one who can turn a nice gesture into an insult."

"You haven't met many people then."

"Quality over quantity, I guess."

"Now look who's throwing the insults around."

Hermione set her cup down and massaged her forehead with her fingers. She was too tired to continue this useless banter. "Since I'm the children's Godmother, I'm pretty much their guardian by default."

"Do you even have a job?"

"What kind of question is that?!" she spat completely insulted. "Why wouldn't I have a job?!"

"You'll have to excuse me for saying this, but you don't exactly look like you make much money."

"I make plenty!"

"Enough for three extra mouths to feed - one being a growing teenager who will likely eat your shelves empty?"

Hermione's shoulders slumped. Before Hydrus died, she had made more than enough at the bookstore that she managed, but Draco brought up a good point; her salary couldn't support all of the children and their needs.

She squared her shoulders back off. "I'll just find a better job. Single mothers do it all the time."

"They also pay out fifty percent of their income in child care - do you own the home you live in?"

"No, I rent a flat."

"And it probably has only one room." His expression was serious. "I don't mean to come across as insensitive - "

Hermione snorted. "Is that so?! You've always been inconsiderate of other people's feelings, why stop now?!"

Draco's lips pursed. "Don't interrupt me, Granger."

"Is that a direct order? Do you think you can make demands of me like I'm one of your house elves?! Well, you can't! You don't own me, Draco Malfoy!" She stormed over to the door, swinging it open to make her leave.

"Dammit, Granger, would you just stop and listen! You can't do this on your own!"

"Watch me!" hissed Hermione, and she stepped out into the hall, ignoring his demands for her to come back.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"Look what Granny got you!"

Narcissa volunteered to watch her grandchildren so that Draco and Granger could talk. The night before, she had shopped around for some gifts since it was a grandmother's duty to spoil them.

"I love dresses, thank you, Granny!" Natasha cheered, hugging the woman after seeing the frilly, pink expensive garment.

Narcissa's heart melted immediately when she felt those tiny arms link around her. She kissed the girl's cheek.

"I've got something for your brothers too. Would you mind getting them for me?"

"Anthony!" screeched Natasha as she leaped off Narcissa's lap, running off. "Curtis! Granny brought presents!"

Curtis came out on his own soon enough. "We never had a grandmother before, and never one that gave us anything."

"Well, you do now! Open it!" Narcissa gave him a box.

"Are you trying to buy our affection?"

"Not at all. I remember how lovely it was when my granny came over bearing gifts, and I want you to feel the same."

"Anthony isn't coming," Natasha announced upon her return. "Aunt Hermione says he's upset that Daddy's dead - "

"She did not say dead, Tasha," Curtis corrected her, pausing from opening his gift. "You're not supposed to say 'dead', remember?"

"It is the past-tense of died, Curty, what am I supposed to say?"

"You'll learn quickly that she thinks she knows everything," explained Curtis to Narcissa. "I hope you're prepared for that, she has a very high IQ - _too_ high, if you ask me." He sent his sister a pointed look.

"I find it rather adorable that my granddaughter is a smart sweet potato."

Natasha giggled. "I'm a sweet potato! And you're just a stinky doo!" she said to Curtis.

"At least I have a high maturity level."

"And when I'm big like you, I'll have more maturity than you!"

Curtis rolled his eyes and resumed to opening the box. "Hey, this is cool!" He held up a football that was decorated in greens and blues.

"Your uncle Draco told me that you like playing football. It's a Muggle's sport, but maybe you can teach me how to play."

" _You_ want to play _football_?!"

"Yes, why shouldn't I?"

"Well, you're just so - "

"Old!" Natasha finished, laughing. "Granny's old! Granny's old!" she sang out.

"I'm not _old_ , child, I'm _experienced_. I'm sure I can get the hang of the sport. I'm not a terrible Quidditch player, and football is like Quidditch without the brooms and bats."

" _And_ the Bludger, _and_ the Snitch, _and_ the kicking at people's heads! It's more different than you think," Curtis informed his grandmother.

"I'm adaptable," Narcissa assured him.

"I'm going to give Anthony his gift now," she changed the subject, not wanting to leave the quiet one out.

"I can show you his room!" offered Natasha. "He and Curtis share a room because they have penises!"

" _Tasha_!" groaned out Curtis. "Granny doesn't need to know those details!"

"He's embarrassed cause I said _penis_!" said Natasha, cupping her hands to her mouth, unsuccessfully concealing a laugh.

Narcissa grinned, amused. She could understand Curtis's outburst, but the girl was a complete doll.

Natasha escorted the woman to the boys' room. Narcissa wrinkled her nose at the mess it was in. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned it weeks. The bedroom also had a strange, disgusting odor; sweat and dirty laundry.

"Granny came to see you, Anthony." Natasha jumped onto his bed and crawled to her brother who was reading a book.

The boy looked up at the woman before his eyes fell down to the bag she was holding which concealed his present.

"I can tell that you're curious about it, pumpkin tart; why don't you come and get it?"

"She got Curtis a cool looking football! And me a dress!"

Anthony set his book down. Without saying a word, he walked over to his granny and took the bag. He peeked into it before taking out a package for a better look. He studied it over, puzzled with what it was.

"Aviatmo - " Natasha gave up trying to read what the package said. "That word is too hard. What _is_ it, Granny?"

"It's a toy car, and it flies around the room."

"Let's see it, Anthony!" Natasha was excited to see how the new toy worked.

Anthony appeared to match her enthusiasm, and he ripped open the package to release his new toy. He set the car on the floor and backed it up like the picture had illustrated for him to do. The car clicked as if there was a winding mechanism in it, and when Anthony let go of it, the toy took flight, zipping around the room and performing magnificent loops in the air.

Narcissa felt the boy crash against her. He didn't say anything, but the wide smile on his face showed his gratitude.

She rubbed his back with a hand. "You are incredibly welcome, my little pumpkin tart."

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"I cannot believe I actually thought I could have an adult conversation with Hermione Granger!"

"It was that bad then?"

"Mother, the woman is stuck in the past! You should have seen it when I poured her a cup of coffee, it was like she was _stunned_!"

"It has been many years since the two of you have spoken to each other. A lot has changed then."

" _She_ certainly hasn't!" He stirred a pot of stew that he had been making and added a dash of salt to it.

"Oh, now, I doubt that," said Narcissa, ripping up chunks of bread and layering the pieces into two soup bowls.

"I can't stand _Gryffindors_! They are so bloody stubborn!"

"Blaming someone's personality on the sorting of their house is a thing adolescents do, Draco. I know plenty Slytherins who are just as stubborn, yourself included."

Draco growled lowly. He hated it when his mother spoke with logic. Right now, he'd prefer that she agree with him.

He swiped up the soup bowls from the table she was sitting at and hastily ladled some of the stew into them. "You're supposed to be on my side, Mother!"

"I'm on the side that will let me see those precious babies everyday. Be that hers or yours, I do not care."

"Traitor," muttered Draco, sitting down.

"That _is_ a Slytherin trait," she teased him.

"You know," Narcissa said after they had eaten a few spoonfuls in thoughtful silence. "She might like some of this - you should have seen Hydrus's place, it was a rubbish dump. If she's had no energy to clean, I'm sure it's the same for cooking. I would hate to think that my grandchildren are eating from prepackaged foods."

"Well, there's plenty left in the pot, but I'm not going over there. I've had enough of that bushy-haired woman for the day."

Narcissa sighed at his childish response. "Fine, I'll do it then, but eventually you and that woman are going to have to put aside your differences. And soon! We can't stay here forever, I have a sewing club to get back to - Molly Weasley promised me to show me a new design!"

Draco watched his mother pack up the pot of stew and leave the suite with nothing more to say.

He let out a deep sigh, staring at the door. Things would be easier if Granger would give him a chance, but all she did was expect the worse in him.

He got up and rinsed out his bowl then made his way to the bathroom to prepare himself for a shower.

He regretted not writing back to his brother all these years. Draco hated himself for waiting until he was literally dead before making an appearance. He had been too much of a chicken ass to arrange a meeting, fearing that it was too late to make amends.

Which made no sense to him; Hydrus had made it abundantly clear that all was forgiven, so why had Draco been afraid to go see his brother?

Draco scrubbed at his head with his fingers, digging his nails into his scalp harshly. A sick feeling slammed into the pit of his gut. He applied more pressure, breathing through the pain he purposely inflicted.

After he rinsed the soap away, he stepped out of the stall and stood in front of the mirror. His eyes narrowed at the dark circles around them - the effect of having no sleep for the past week and a half.

" _Greedy, little worm,"_ he thought to himself, repeating the same words Granger had called him the other day.

Sadly, she couldn't have been anymore right.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"I thought I told you to go pick up your room!"

Natasha came skipping over to Hermione where she was mixing up their dinner

"Can we not have that tonight?" the girl pleaded with a whine, ignoring Hermione's inquiry.

"What's wrong with this?"

Natasha wrinkled her nose. "I want Daddy's pancakes."

Hermione sat down and groaned tiredly. She had been chasing after the little one for hours now, trying to get her to at least pick up her dirty clothing, but Natasha found any and every excuse not to do it. If Hermione hadn't been so exhausted, she would have cleansed up the entire house with a few spells, but the lack of sleep was taking a toll on her mind, body and soul.

 _And_ patience.

"We're _not_ having Daddys pancakes tonight!"

"But I don't want that hideous casserole! I'm tired of that! I want something yummy!"

Hermione closed her eyes and started naming potion ingredients in alphabetical order in her head.

"Alright, Tasha," said Hermione after she recollected her cool. "I'll make a deal with you, if you go pick up all of your clothing _and_ your toys, we can have Daddy's pancakes for tomorrow night."

"But what are we going to have for tonight then?"

"This - " A knock on the door cut off Hermione and sent Natasha racing to see who the visitor was.

" _I'll_ answer it, Tasha!" stressed Hermione, chasing the girl down.

"It's Granny!" exclaimed Natasha when Hermione opened the door. The latter was breathing hard from her quick movements to beat the child in the race.

"Hello, sweet potato," drawled out Mrs. Malfoy. To Hermione, she said, "We thought you could use a break." She gestured to a pot in her arms to which Hermione relieved her of.

"Oh, that was so nice of you," said Hermione truthfully. Whatever it was smelled _divine_! "Please come in, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Draco made it," the woman added. Hermione swore Mrs. Malfoy gave her a wink when she said that, but Hermione wasn't altogether either, so she may have imagined it.

"From a tin?"

Mrs. Malfoy laughed like Hermione had told her a joke. "Malfoys don't eat from tins, dear."

Hermione should have figured that. She put the pot onto the stove and pulled down a stack of bowls to start serving.

"Did you eat yet?" Hermione asked Mrs. Malfoy.

"Yes, I've eaten - why don't you go get the boys. I can handle setting the table."

Hermione sent the woman an odd look. Physical labour - any labour - didn't seem to be something a Malfoy would do. She was beginning to think that she had entered the Twilight Zone - first Draco pours her a cup of joe, then she finds out that he actually _cooked_ something (from _scratch_ ), and now Narcissa Malfoy was butting her out of the kitchen to feed a pack of children!

"Thanks," she said, unsure of what else to say. "I appreciate the help."

"It takes a village, Miss Granger - it _is_ Miss, yes?"

"Yes, I've not married."

Mrs. Malfoy smiled and tossed her head toward the kitchen's exit. "Bring in the others and come sit down and eat. I'm sure you're famished."

Hermione hated to admit it, but her stomach was growling with anticipation. It certainly hadn't been this excited for her now-forgotten casserole.

"Granny's here," she informed the boys when she had entered their room. Unlike Natasha, they were actually doing what Hermione had told them to do. "She brought some lovely stew that your uncle made; come into the kitchen and try some."

Curtis's appetite had returned two days after the funeral, and he had not complained about the food that was being served like Natasha had, but Anthony still hardly ate a thing, and Hermione had even given him some potions to boost his hunger levels. At this point, she didn't care if he had cookies and ice cream for dinner, as long as he ate _something_.

Nonetheless, the younger boy did follow the others to join them for the meal.

"Hello, you!" Mrs. Malfoy greeted him especially, knowing he needed the extra attention. He responded with a shy smile and climbed into her lap.

"How about a bite of Uncle Draco's stew?" She slid over a bowl, setting it in front of them. Anthony looked down at the bowl, and his smile faded.

Hermione sat down, watching the two closely. She wondered if Mrs. Malfoy could get him to eat. She spooned some of the stew into her own mouth, causing it to water from the its heavenly flavour.

 _Damn, Draco could cook!_

Hermione wasn't a terrible cook, but she had never made anything that tasted this _amazing_.

Mrs. Malfoy kissed the boy's cheek and whispered something into his ear. "Don't you think?" she said to Anthony loud enough for Hermione to catch.

Anthony nodded slowly, answering whatever she had said.

"Why don't you just take a small bite then, and if you don't like it, we'll get you something else - anything you want, okay?"

"It's good, Anthony!" stated Natasha with a mouthful.

"Finish what's in your mouth before you speak," Hermione automatically instructed.

"No one wants to have your spit all over them," said Curtis.

"Eww!" The girl cringed.

"Exactly," agreed Hermione.

"Do you like it?" Mrs. Malfoy could be heard asking.

Anthony had finally taken a bite of his dinner and was making slow chews at it. He nodded after he finished it and then shoved another spoonful into his mouth.

"You can have as much as you want!" Mrs. Malfoy told him, squeezing her arms gently around him.

"What did you say to him?"

Hermione and Mrs. Malfoy were sitting in the living room two hours later. The elder woman had been a great help getting the children cleaned up and ready for bed. She had even read the two little ones a couple stories before they had drifted off to sleep.

"To Anthony?

"Yes, you're a miracle worker, I swear!"

Mrs. Malfoy sipped from her cup of tea and nonchalantly flicked her wand, sending several items into the air. Books set themselves onto shelves, clothes piled into a wastebasket, and toys landed into an empty toy bin.

"I told him that his Daddy would want him to eat so he could grow up big and strong just like him."

"Oh." It was a brilliant thing to say, and Hermione felt dumb for not thinking of it first.

"You cannot learn everything about children in one day, Miss Granger. You've done an excellent job, but maybe it's not a bad thing to ask for help."

Hermione leaned her head against the sofa. "Scarlett has her own life; she plays professional Quidditch. She's pretty much the only one I know who doesn't already have a family of her own."

"What did you and my son talk about today?" There was a twinkle in the woman's dark eyes, and Hermione couldn't help to think that Mrs. Malfoy was fishing for something.

"Basically, he stated how poor I am."

"I wouldn't say you're poor. Undercut, but not poor."

"Well, the thought of three university intuitions makes me _feel_ poor!"

"Would you deny someone if they offered to assist you with that?"

Hermione scratched at her neck, thinking. "I don't know. I'm quite independent, but it's not just myself I have to think about anymore. I might accept some help. I would feel obligated to pay the person back though - somehow, someway."

"Miss Granger, I wonder if you would consider a proposition."

"What kind of proposition?"

"You have all but said you could use some assistance with your new charges, and Draco and I would love to get to know the children better, they are such beautiful darlings."

"Mrs. Malfoy, I appreciate your concern, but as their Godmother, it is only right that I remain their guardian."

"And as their grandmother, it is only right that I ensure that they have everything they need, both financially and emotionally. I believe together, you, Draco and I could give that to them."

"Don't you have a husband too?"

Narcissa sighed coldly. "Lucius is being a stubborn blowhole."

That comment made Hermione laugh.

"Are you suggesting a joint custody deal?" asked Hermione in all seriousness. "I think that would be too rough on the children, having to commute back and forth."

"I was thinking of approaching the problem at a different angle. I am asking if you and the children would come live with us - as a trial run - and we could see how it all works."

Hermione felt a little dizzy. Her mouth grew dry, and she couldn't speak. Had she heard the woman correctly? A _Malfoy_ was asking her to move in with her?!

Okay, now she _knew_ she had crossed over into a whole different dimension!


	3. Take Me to the Other Side

Hermione stood outside of the door to Draco's suite at the local bed and breakfast. She lifted up her hand, hesitant on knocking to alert her arrival. After talking with Narcissa the previous night (the woman had insisted that they call each other by their first names), Hermione had agreed to come over early this morning to once again attempt to talk civilly with Draco.

If they were going to live together, they would need to find some common ground.

Not that she had accepted Narcissa's offer, but it was a tempting one; Narcissa assured her that there was plenty of room for them all at Draco's place, and Hermione was promised her own suite which consisted of a walk-in closet and a luxurious bathroom.

Hermione wasn't a gold digger though, and that wasn't going to be enough to warrant her to uproot the children thousands of miles to live in a whole new area. She also thought the children should be able to voice their opinion, especially Curtis who would be the most affected by a move as he was already attending a school for wizards.

But before Hermione could speak with the children about it, she needed to see how Draco was with them. If he was anything like Lucius Malfoy, Hermione didn't want him anywhere near those children. They couldn't be around someone who was cold and patronizing.

Narcissa was wonderful with the children, and they quickly latched onto her. If Draco had even a drop of his mother's nurturing instinct, then Hermione would be willing to give the idea a chance - a chance that she knew Hydrus would want her to take.

She heavily doubted that Draco Malfoy had a sensitive side to him, but then again, Narcissa's gentle demeanor had been a shock too. Hermione had only known them to be cold, distant people (after what they had all done to Hydrus, she didn't see them as being anything different). If Narcissa had a soft heart in her, then it was possible that Draco did too.

She finally rapped on the door three times before waiting for him to answer. There was no sound of footsteps approaching, but Draco opened the door just the same. Hermione never realized that he walked so lightly.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he greeted with the utmost politeness. Hearing the 'Miss' when he addressed her was unusual. His mother must have given him a pep talk this morning.

"Morning."

"Can I offer you a drink?"

"Do you have any of that Brazilian coffee from yesterday?" she asked. Her mouth had been craving it since she first tasted it.

"I do." Hermione followed him to the kitchenette, and he began to prepare the beverage.

There was an uncomfortable silence. It appeared that they each were waiting for the other to start the upcoming conversation.

 _Well,_ Hermione thought, pulling a chair from the tiny table that stood in the kitchenette, _I am the Gryffindor, I may as well start._

"I hope you're aware that your mother has invited the children and I to come live with you."

Draco had his back turned to her, and he was taking his time on adding some coffee grounds to the pot. "Her ideas are often this bizarre." He wasn't going to add anything more to the statement.

"She said your home is big, how big is it?"

"Extremely."

"Would you tell me how many bedrooms, bathrooms and levels it has?"

He turned around with narrowed eyes. "May I ask why the size of my home should matter at all to you? I wasn't requesting for an assessment on it; it's not up for sale."

"I figured that if you and I are going to be under the same roof, I'd like a great deal of walls between us."

"Four levels: seven floos - all functioning, three kitchens, two dining rooms, a ballroom, seventeen bathrooms - nine that are adjoined to separate, complete suites, and sixteen guest rooms." He had said it all without even needing to blink.

"So what do you think?" asked Draco, turning back around and conjuring up two cups. "Is that enough of a distance to set between us?"

"Quite," she breathed out. She knew the Malfoys had money, but she had never given it a thought as to how _much_ they had. "You're like Bill Gates rich."

"I'll assume that's a compliment."

"He's the single, most richest man in the Muggle world."

Draco nodded, acknowledging her information. "If my main home doesn't appease you, there are three different guest houses that you may have your pick from - you'll be responsible for cleaning up on your own though, my house elves do not do everyday maintenance on any of them."

This option sounded the most ideal for Hermione. She could live in a separate building from the Malfoys and not have to worry about house elves uncontrollably picking up after her.

"I'd like that. Are any of them big enough to accommodate the children?"

"The smallest one has five bedrooms, it only has three bathrooms though."

"Sounds perfect, but how much is it going to cost?"

"Cost?"

"In rent."

"I told you already, I own them, it doesn't cost me a thing."

"I meant how much are you going to charge _me_ to live there? A place that big is worth a great deal of money."

"Granger, it's sitting empty, you're the guardian of my brother's children, I'm not going to charge you a knut to live there - so long as you practice better housekeeping skills than you have been recently. I suspect your lack of cleaning things up has to do with the recent events though, I don't remember you being so disorganized."

"Things got out of hand," admitted Hermione. "But you're right, I'll have things back in shape soon enough."

"Good." He set a cup of coffee in front of her. "When do you want to go see the houses?"

"Before we get into that, I want to see how the children respond to you."

"Respond to me?" Draco questioned, somewhat confused.

"I need to know that if I move them they will be in a decent environment - not one just buried in riches; they need love and affection too."

He didn't seem too pleased with this. "I don't intend to spend much of my time with them. That's the whole point in having _you_ around."

"If you don't want to parent them, why are you bothering at all?"

"I thought I made myself clear that you weren't financially capable to take in my niece and nephews. I assumed that was a fair enough reason."

Hermione clenched her jaw. "So I'm just a nanny to you?"

Draco met her glare with a blank look. He took a long sip from his coffee. "Officially, you're their Godmother."

"And unofficially?"

He shrugged. "It would be terribly traumatic to sweep these children away from the one parental figure that they have left. Not that they are not adaptable to changes - the little ones especially - but I'm not that much of a bastard, even if you think otherwise."

"So I'm to remain their legal guardian after this move? You are not going to demand that I sign away my rights, be it in partial or entire?"

"Granger, I don't even know _how_ to care for a handful of children." There was a hint of a helpless tone to his voice. "If you wish to keep your Godmother status, I'm not going to force you to give it up. My mother just wants them around; they are our blood, our family, and unfortunate for me, she finds them to be cute. "

"May I ask why you changed your mind about them being part of your family?" Hermione forced herself to sound even, not wanting to come off as accusing - though that's exactly how she felt about the topic.

"If you must know, it was never my decision to cut the ties off from my brother."

"But you participated." Her voice did change into a colder one here. "All Hydrus wanted was to be accepted by his family, and every last one of you ignored him."

He nodded, accepting her criticism. "I'm not going to deny that you're speaking the truth, but I do not wish to talk about this at the moment."

"Fine, I can respect that."

They sat in silence for several awkward seconds, drinking their coffee.

"I'd like you come over for dinner tonight and meet the children." Hermione was the first to speak.

"If you're making another casserole, I'm going to deferentially decline." Hermione couldn't tell if he meant that as a joke or an insult.

"I can order take-away," she offered.

"Mother and I don't eat food prepared by Muggles."

"They're too good for you, huh?"

"Sanitary reasons. Muggles try their best, but without magic, there's only so much you can do. Why don't I come over and prepare something. From what I heard, my cooking was highly satisfying with your lot."

Hermione smacked a palm to her forehead. "I just forgot that I promised Natasha I would make her pancakes tonight!"

"Are they edible?"

She rolled her eyes. "It is your brother's recipe, and he was an excellent cook. Seems to be a thing that runs in your family."

"Father considers cooking a thing that only laborers do, but does not surprise me to hear that Hydrus prepared meals, he was always hovering over the elves in the kitchens."

"What made you start cooking?" asked Hermione, heavily curious of the answer.

He rose up a shoulder, shrugging. "I tried it one day when my ex-wife requested it of me. I quite enjoyed doing it. Not all too different than Potions."

"You're a divorced man?" This incredibly interested Hermione.

"You sound surprised. I'm not for certain if it's because I was once married or someone would let all my money go."

"Both, I guess," she indifferently answered. Anyone who was willing to marry Draco would have to be a gold digger. That or really draft.

"That's another subject that's not up for discussion."

Hermione clicked her tongue. "Aww, she left you, didn't she?"

"No!" shot back Draco indignantly. "We ended our marriage with equal feelings!"

"Your initial response tells differently. You don't have to lie to me, I know that you're not an easy guy to get along with."

He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it. "You've overstayed your welcome, Granger. I'd like you to leave now." His tone was cool and even. His face showed no emotion.

She had hit him in a sore spot, bruising his ego. That's okay, she was finished with him anyway. And at least they hadn't ended their visit in a yelling match.

Progress, if just a little.

"We eat at five-thirty," informed Hermione as she stepped out, letting him know that it was still alright for him to come by for dinner.

He gave her a curt nod before shutting the door in her face.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"You do realize that I'm only doing this for you, right?"

Narcissa nodded. "And I do appreciate it."

Draco grunted. "I can't stand that woman. She's so bloody nosy."

"You can't stand her because you two are so much alike."

"Like _hell_ we are!" demanded Draco, absolutely offended with his mother's comment.

Narcissa smiled at his denial. "You just don't see it yet, but give it time."

"Let's get this over," he grumbled, speeding up his walking pace. "The sooner she approves, the sooner we can pack them all up and get the hell out of here!"

"Don't rush it, dear. She'll come around. We must remain patient."

"That woman pulls every string of patience that I have!"

"I find her easy to talk with. Miss Granger is an intelligent, lovely woman."

Draco grunted. "You haven't spent enough time with her!"

"Or perhaps it's because you haven't given her a chance."

" _Me_?" screeched out Draco in disbelief of her accusation. "I was _exceedingly_ cordial with her this morning! _She's_ the one who had to start making smartass comments about my former marriage! She wasn't even there! That bloody Gryffindor thinks she knows everything - she doesn't, I'll have you know!"

"Oh, settle down, Draco, your face is turning red. There's no reason to throw a fit. I'm only saying that perhaps the _both_ of you should give each other a chance."

" _I_ did, it's her turn to make an effort now!"

"Isn't that why we're having dinner with her tonight - because she invited us over - isn't that considered making an effort?"

Draco threw out a sigh. "Yes," he muttered, unable to oppose her point.

"Then put on a happy face, and let's show her that we are the decent, caring people that she's looking for."

Draco stood with a fake, stiff smile as his mother knocked on what used to be his brother's exterior door. He didn't usually smile much, but he really had no choice if he wanted to prove to Granger that he had a suitable-for-children side to him.

He was kidding himself, he knew, but if he could fool her, what did it matter.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"Unckie Draco looks like he's in a lot of pain, Auntie Hermione," good, old, uncensored Natasha noted when Hermione answered the door and revealed Narcissa and Draco.

 _He probably is_ , thought Hermione to herself, not even attempting to conceal the smirk that crept to her lips.

"Merlin, child, I _forbid_ you from calling me 'unckie', Uncle Draco is just fine."

"He's experiencing a little stomach gas, sweet potato," explained Narcissa, likely making it up.

"Oh, you should get him a potion!" Natasha directed to Hermione. "It always works for me!"

"I'm alright, thank you. What I'm experiencing has no cure." The man sounded as stiff as he looked.

"Well, come on in!" Natasha grabbed onto her grandmother's hand and pulled her inside. "You too, Uncle Draco! Auntie Hermione is making pancakes!"

"Oh, joy," he commented with false excitement.

Hermione shot him a dirty look. "How about a drink?" she offered.

"You got any firewhiskey?"

"You'll have to settle for butterbeer." She retrieved it for him, ignoring his scowl before excusing herself to go and get the boys.

"I don't want to go out there," said Curtis, turning to his side to face the wall. "I can tell he doesn't like us. I don't even know why he's here!"

"Oh, of course he likes you," Hermione said, though she wondered if it was really the truth. "Granny came to see you too, and she absolutely _adores_ you!"

"I just don't understand why now all of a sudden. Where have they been all this time? No letters, no floo calls, nothing. Are you sure they are even Dad's family?"

"Honey, I'm very sure. Remember, I used to go to school with Draco and your dad."

"What if they've been polyjuicing? They could be someone else under disguise."

Hermione had to stop herself from laughing at the boy's wild imagination. " _Trust_ me, they _are_ your relatives."

"I think they want to take us away," whispered Curtis. He didn't want his little brother overhearing.

 _It is hard to get anything past this boy,_ Hermione thought to herself. _He can see right through people._

"You have nothing to worry about, your Aunt Hermione has everything under control."

"And yet, you don't deny it, which means you think so too."

Hermione tenderly touched the boy's back. "There's things going on that you're not ready to hear, but we'll discuss it soon, alright?"

He heaved an annoyed sigh. " _Fine_."

"Now would you _please_ come out and visit with your granny and uncle?"

"Yes, but I want you to know that I'm doing it under protest!"

In the living room, Natasha was telling Draco all about the new dress that Narcissa had bought her. When she saw Hermione, Anthony and Curtis join them, she brought her brothers into the conversation.

"And Anthony carries his car everywhere, don't you, Anthony?"

The boy held up his car, showing it off. A shy smile clung onto his face. Then he crawled up into his granny's lap - he always had been the most loveable one out of the three.

"Show Uncle Draco your ball, Curtis!" Natasha instructed, going over to the storage closet and taking out the football. "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's not _pretty_ , it's _cool_ ," her brother corrected and swiped the ball from her. He spun it in his hands and balanced it onto his finger.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "And now he's showing off!"

Draco rose up from the chair that he sat in. "Football, hmm? Your father wrote about your infatuation over the sport. Are you any good at it?"

"I'm alright. I haven't gotten to play much since I started school though." He gave the ball a toss to Draco who had held his hands out for a turn.

Draco caught it with his knee and bumped the ball back and forth between his knees before passing it back to Curtis.

"Hey, you're pretty good! I thought wizards didn't play football?"

Draco shrugged. "That didn't stop us from goofing around with a Quaffle."

"Maybe I can teach you to play football sometime."

"Yes, perhaps sometime - have you given Quidditch any thought? I used to seek on my school's team."

Hermione slipped into the kitchen to start preparing their dinner. It seemed Draco may get along with the children after all - at least for as long as sports was on topic.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

" _Excuse_ me? You're _what_?"

"It'll only be for a few months as a trial run."

Scarlett scoffed. She had just been told that Hermione was moving to Wiltshire with the children. "You don't even know these people! For all you know, they could be planning to murder you just to get you out of the picture!"

"You read too many mystery novels, the Malfoys are not murders."

"You've known them for two _weeks_ , and now you're going to move in with them?! You're mad!"

"I'm not moving in with them. The children and I will be living in a separate structure."

"That's on the same _property_ as theirs!" argued Scarlett.

"Well, yes, since they own several thousands of acres, it would make the most sense that their guest homes are in walking distance from their main living quarters."

"I'm never seeing you again," the woman declared hollowly. "I lost Hydrus, and now I'm going to lose you. They will bury you under a tire swing where Natasha will drag her feet over the dirt of where you lay."

"Scarlett!" shrieked Hermione. "Quit that!" she shuddered. "Are you trying to give me nightmares?!"

"Anything to get you to change your mind," Scarlett said with pleading, wet eyes. "I'm going to miss you. Everyone I care about is going to be gone…"

Hermione reached out an arm to her friend and pulled her into a hug. "I promise we can meet once a week."

"But it won't be the same!" Scarlett pouted.

Hermione sighed. "I know, but I think this is for the best. The children could use a fresh start. Curtis has even agreed to take some classes at Hogwarts. He's been failing Transfigurations terribly, and there's an excellent professor there that could help him out with it."

"He didn't put up a fuss about moving?"

Hermione tilted her head, weighing in on the teenager's reaction over the idea of moving. It wasn't exactly easy getting him to agree with the move, but in the end, he finally caved after she had expressed that Anthony was doing a little better each time that he saw their grandmother.

"He was mildly upset because he has roots here, and he'll tremendously miss his Charms teacher, but he and Draco seemed to have hit it off really well, and I think that's helped. Hydrus wasn't into sports, and Draco is, so Curtis now has someone in his life that he can talk sports with. It creates a distraction from the recent events, and I believe it's a good thing."

"All seems to be going well then… Sucks to be me…"

"You could always come by and visit. Maybe you can even relocate."

Scarlett threw her head back and moaned out pitifully. "I can't drop my team!"

"I really am sorry," said Hermione truthfully. "I am going to miss you."

Scarlett nodded. A tear slipped from her eye, and she dabbed at it with a pinky. "I'm going to miss you too, Hermione!" she blubbered, crying onto her friend's shoulder. "I just can't believe how fast things are changing! I love you, girl!"

Hermione rubbed Scarlett's back. A few tears slipped from her own eyes. "I love you too, Scar…" she choked out.


	4. Moving on Up

"Welcome back, Master Malfoy," Draco's head house elf, Dipper, greeted and awaited for the wizard to give him his first order in the near three weeks of his absence.

"It's good to be home, thank you. How did everything fare while I was gone?"

"Handy is a proud new mother, she will be back in two months. In the meantime, Dipper sought out a replacement. Clinky is not as good, so I warn the master not to expect the same quality Handy gave. Handy is irreplaceable."

Draco nodded at the news. Handy had been expecting a baby before he had left, so it wasn't news to him that she was on leave.

"You may just want to take over Handy's duties yourself then, and give Clinky an easier task, such as dusting - I don't need my laundry ruined." Draco was extremely picky on who did his laundry.

"Dipper has already thought to do that, sir." The elf smiled with pride.

"You never fail to disappoint me, Dipper. Alright then - any messages?"

A sheet of parchment appeared in Dipper's hand, and he read off from it, "Mr. Vincent Crabbe says that you will need to hire a new manager for the shop; the latest one was caught stealing."

Draco's eyebrows raised. He owned an apothecary shop, and he paid his employees well - almost three times more than his competitors. To steal from him was a high insult.

"How much was he caught taking?"

"Over one-thousand Galleons."

Chump change to Draco, but there was still the principle.

"Has Dully been reported to the Ministry?"

"Immediately, Master. He has been charged and fined."

Draco nodded approvingly. "And did Gregory put an ad out in the Daily Prophet for a new manager?"

"Oh, yes, Master Draco. Interviews start this Monday."

Draco heaved an exhausted sigh. If he could trust Greg and Vincent to properly interview potential employees, he would, but they would only hire good looking women, and Draco needed someone who could actually do the job.

If he wanted the shop to have some eye candy, he'd just buy a sexy portrait and hang it on the wall.

Draco would have made one of his friends the manager, but neither of them had decent social skills.

Vincent thought everyone beneath him needed not question him on anything. Obviously, no one wanted to work with him with that sort of attitude. He was decent at math though, so Draco had assigned him as the shop's accountant.

Gregory didn't speak often, and he was more of a follower than a leader - he actually hated giving out orders. He enjoyed a more physical workload, thus Draco had given him a shelf stacking position.

Draco had yet to find someone who could be his vice president, someone who would do all of Draco's obligations so that he wouldn't have to fly down to the shop every time there was a problem that needed handling.

Oh well. Until he found a suitable candidate for the position, he was on his own. That was part of being a business owner.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

"Thanks for coming and helping out," said Hermione to Narcissa, grateful that the Pureblood had tagged along for the plane ride to England. She had been an enormous help with the children during their travel.

"It's my pleasure. I couldn't stand the idea of you doing it all on your own. After all, this arrangement is to benefit you too!"

It was nice to have someone there to help, Hermione noted. Narcissa had been so good about offering her assistance too. Being a mother of three children so suddenly was overwhelming and daunting. Not that Hermione didn't feel she could handle it, but she was a lot more stable with Narcissa by her side.

Too bad Draco wasn't as helpful as his mother. He had refused to ride the Muggle contraption, thinking his broom was much safer. Hermione didn't hesitate to alert him that there were plenty more broom crashes than there were plane crashes. Of course he refused to respond to that, likely knowing she was right. She had then informed him that the death count was higher too.

Hermione got a dirty look for that comment.

"He'll come around once he gets used to the children," explained Narcissa who seemed to read Hermione's thoughts without any trouble at all. "This is new for Draco, and he doesn't know how he's supposed to react."

"He seems quite undecided about things. One moment, he's talking about what he wants of the children, then in the next, he's telling me it's all my choice as I'm their Godmother."

Narcissa nodded with a sadness in her eyes. "My son is going through his own issues, just like you and I. I believe that he has doubts about what he should and shouldn't do. He doesn't want to step on your toes, but he also feels that he has some rights regarding the children."

"I can match his feelings," said Hermione thoughtfully. "As their Godmother, I feel that it's my responsibility to care for the children, but everyone who knew Hydrus knew what he thought about family, and while I'm annoyed with how he was treated, this is exactly what he would have wanted. No one can deny it. I'm just here to make sure they get the love they need."

"My grandchildren are incredibly lucky to have you, Hermione Granger. And my son was lucky enough to have you as a friend."

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes. "I was lucky to have him too, Narcissa. You have no idea how much he meant to me."

The elder woman set a hand onto Hermione's shoulder and patted it. They were in public, making their way down a street to their portkey. If they had been in privacy, she would have hugged Hermione.

"I'm sorry you're sad, Auntie Hermione," said Natasha when she had looked behind her to see the woman sniffing. She and her brothers had been walking slightly ahead, interested in their new surroundings.

Hermione took the girl's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome!" instantly responded Natasha, beaming with a smile.

"Alright, everyone gather around," Narcissa ordered when they had reached their destination. A rusty, old screwdriver lay at her feet. She told everyone to place a hand on her so that when she grabbed onto the item, they would all port together.

The little ones weren't new to portkeys, but they still couldn't handle the harsh impact it did to their bodies. Once they had ported, Anthony hurled up his lunch from earlier, and Natasha complained about being dizzy. Luckily, the grown women had come prepared and aided their sickness with a couple of potions. In no time, they were both feeling normal again, and the group was able to continue their journey.

They had arrived at a walk path in front of an enormous estate. This was the main residence, and it was called Malfoy Manor.

Draco had already gone into great detail on how immaculate and magnificent it was. It was fit for a king. Perfect for a family of people who liked to believe that they were the Royal family of the magical community.

Hermione had been impressed but refused to let him see it. Once Draco fully realized that he couldn't thrill her with his money, he might actually stop rubbing it in her face.

Although she wondered why she even thought that he would. Draco had always flaunted his riches. Not unlike his father.

He'd shown her his own Manor in which he stated that he had moved in after he married. It was half the size as the main one, but still glorious in its own way. Hermione adored the dark green pebbles that piled up three levels high to make the walls. There was one tiny complimentary tower on the east side of it. The path leading up to the entrance had two separate cases of steps made from the same pebbles. At the entrance was a covered cement platform with four columns supporting the roof above of it.

Draco had offered to show her inside, but Hermione wasn't there for a tour. She wanted to get down to business and select the home she was to live in for the next few months.

A house elf brought a carriage for she, Narcissa and the children to ride in. Hermione was reluctant to use it, but Narcissa pointed out that they would never make it in time for dinner with as excited as the children were. They had never seen such elaboration before, and it was completely sucking them in.

Even Anthony squealed out a few words here and there, his depression momentarily forgotten.

"Bird!" The young boy pointed at a beautiful, white peacock as they rode on by it.

"That's a peacock," informed Curtis.

"Is it your pet, Granny?" asked Natasha.

"Not exactly," answered Narcissa. She wore a huge smile, happy that they were enjoying themselves. "I have a few of them. They roam free all day, and then they come back to the barn for safety from the night creatures. But I do have one who likes to be stroked. Her feathers are so soft. Perhaps she'll let you pet her too."

The carriage passed Draco's living quarters, and Narcissa made it aware to the children.

"It's amazing!" exclaimed Natasha. "It needs more colour though." She was a fan of pink and purple and thought that the world didn't have enough of it.

"Uncle Draco isn't going to paint his house pink," told Curtis to his sister.

"Purple then?" she asked cheekily.

He rolled his eyes. "Go ahead and ask him, but I bet he'll say no."

"My room has to be purple and pink, Auntie Hermione."

"Sweetheart, remember it's Uncle Draco's place, not ours."

"Oh…" Natasha accepted her aunt's words, but her bottom lip poked out in disappointment.

"We can get some paints later and paint it together," Narcissa offered immediately.

"Really?!"

Narcissa nodded. "Uncle Draco won't mind."

The carriage finally stopped in front of the home that they would all be staying in. It was not quite as astonishing as the main homes that they had passed, but compared to the tiny one that Hydrus had been renting, this one was _huge_.

"This is it," announced Hermione as she climbed out of the carriage.

"We're living _here_?!" asked Natasha, shocked with the idea.

Hermione helped her to the ground. "Yes, and you'll treat it nicely too. Your uncle is very generous to let us live here, and we must respect his belongings. That means no food outside the dining room." Here, she blatantly looked at her eldest godson; Curtis was always eating snacks in his bedroom. This didn't pose an exact problem with him, but it did with his younger siblings, and Hermione stressed that he needed to set an example more often.

He looked away guiltily, making no comment on the subject. "I'm going to assume that you already picked out our rooms?"

"You know me so well!" Hermione teasingly pinched his cheek.

Curtis yelped out. "Must you do that?!"

"You know I must!" She then went on with the list of rules of what they couldn't do while living under Draco's roof.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

Draco stood outside a bay window that overlooked a yard. It was large enough to put distance between his main home and the guest place that Granger had chosen to move into, and to the naked eye, a person wouldn't be able to clearly see what was going on over there, but Draco had charmed the window with a magnifying spell.

He watched as his mother took the hand of the youngest child. Natasha was bouncing with energy this evening, and he could tell that Narcissa was worn out from her lengthy day.

Something told him that he should be over there, but he didn't see a point. Granger inspected the home before agreeing to move in, so she knew her way around. She had also packed all of their belongings into a nice and compact bag, so he didn't need to help carry anything in.

Not like Granger would accept his help anyway.

He'd just be in the way, and then they'd get into some lame, pointless squabble.

Those children didn't need that.

No. He was better off over here, out of the way.

"And just what are you moping about?"

Draco turned. His friend, Blaise, stood leaning against the door jam of the room. His arms were crossed over his chest, and a shot glass hung from the fingers of a hand. He came over often enough, that the elves hardly even announced his arrivals anymore.

"I'm not moping."

Blaise cocked up an eyebrow. "You are so." His eyes drifted over to the window, and he smiled cheekily. "Spying on your new neighbors? Wouldn't be the woman specifically, would it?"

Draco stepped back from the window and canceled the magnifying spell. He about shuddered in disgust. "Absolutely _not_."

"You deny that she's a gorgeous one?"

"It's not her looks that I find repulsive."

The man frowned and got out of Draco's way so that he could exit the room. He followed the blond, remaining silent on his thought.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Draco had lead the way into another room. One far away from the sight of Hermione Granger. "I can just _feel_ your need to say something," he told his friend, sitting down into an oversized chair. He immediately lifted his legs so that a footrest could be magically slid under his heels. He sighed in comfort as he felt the chair begin to gently vibrate and put off a bit of heat to relax his muscles.

"I'm choosing to remain silent on the subject."

Draco nodded. He knew what his friend had thought: Draco found Granger repulsive because of her blood status.

That wasn't exactly the case. He was sick of doing everything for status. He was one of the richest wizards in the world, wasn't that status enough?

And it's not like being Pureblood _really_ meant something anymore in today's society.

That's what had been on his mind lately.

Ever since his brother's suicide, Draco had been rethinking things. He needed to try to stop pleasing others and just worry about being happy.

Draco had married a Pureblood woman to make his parents happy, and the arranged marriage had not worked out; she had left him because his Pureblood swimmers were duds. _If_ he married again, it would be for love, not status. And if that meant a _Muggleborm_ , well… so be it.

He didn't want to die a miserable man like his brother had.

"I have some good news - or rather, Ginny and I have some good news."

Blaise had married the only Weasley girl after her seventh year - they had been engaged almost a year before that, and she had said her mother would kill her if she didn't finish school first. Up until recently, Ginny had been playing Quidditch professionally but had dropped out before this season started. Being a celebrity, there were plenty of rumours as to why.

"We're expecting a wee one -"

This had been one of the rumours floating around. People were buzzing with excitement at the thought of Ginny Zabini being pregnant.

" - I'm going to be a father." Blaise was all smiles. His brown eyes were lit up with pride and happiness.

"Congratulations." Draco forced himself to smile. Outwardly, it was genuine, but inside, his gut was stirring with anger, hate, and jealousy.

At one time, he had been this excited too.

But that had been so long ago.

$-.-$-.-$-.-$

Natasha was a messy eater. It was positively disgusting. Draco wasn't sure if it was because she was so young or if the girl just liked being covered in yuck all up to her elbows.

Narcissa had naturally invited the troupe for dinner that night so that Granger wouldn't have to cook. At first the woman had refused until Narcissa had said that Draco was the one cooking that night.

Honestly, that woman was so infuriating. Trying to get her to understand that elves actually enjoyed working was like talking to a brick wall.

Anthony ate slow and precisely. Hydrus used to be like that. He had said it was because he wanted to savour every last bite because the elves had worked so hard on the meal.

That used to drive their father mad. Then again, almost everything that Hydrus did usually sent Lucius into anger.

Hydrus's sorting was one of the biggest events ever in Malfoy Manor. Draco had actually been terrified when his brother's letter arrived on September 3rd, 1988.

Lucius had never yelled before that moment. Not from what Draco remembered, but when Hydrus hadn't been sorted into Slytherin, the man had threatened to beat the boy into liquid when he came home for the Christmas holiday.

Draco chose to stay out of his father's sight for several days after he had said that.

Thankfully, by the time Christmas came around, Lucius had mellowed down. He was still incredibly disappointed, but Hydrus was doing so well in school, that he was able to overlook the sorting.

Draco had practically been a grown man when Hydrus ran off with the Muggle lover, so he hadn't been so frightened when his father went crazy over that episode, but Lucius could be a chilling man to be around when he was angered.

Draco had decided to stay over at Goyle's house for a few days during that time, feeling immensely uncomfortable being around his father.

He remembered hating Hydrus for what he had done. Not because he was stupid enough to let a Muggle into his heart, but because everything was left up to Draco. He had to be the respectable heir now.

Draco had never been prepared for this. It was something he didn't want to do - something that he never envied Hydrus for. And suddenly, it had been tossed at him, all because Hydrus got himself disowned.

All Draco's plans for his future had been instantly canceled. He had wanted to become a potion inventor. Since his first potions class, he had wanted to create cures and become the most known Apothecary of all time. At sixteen, Draco had already started on one that would stop the greying of hair.

But that dream had been flushed away. He could never create potions. It was too dangerous. And survival was the key for the Malfoy name to continue on.

No, because Hydrus was an idiot, Draco had to go into business or politics. Those were safe choices, both physically and financially.

He chose business in a heartbeat. Not liking the dirt involved with politicians. Draco had made his first fifty thousand Galleons before he was even officially an adult.

Naturally, out of his brother's kids, Curtis was his favourite. It was bad to have a favourite, of course, but in this case, it wasn't too terrible since Narcissa absolutely fawned over Natasha, and Anthony got special attention because of his issue.

It wasn't tedious watching the teenager eat. He didn't pick at his food. He was well mannered (as he should be, given his age). He also loved sports, and that allowed Draco to feel comfortable around him. He wasn't so with the younger children, but he had a common interest with Curtis.

Perhaps he could find something of the same with Anthony and Natasha too.

 _Likely not_ , he thought, wrinkling his nose, shifting his eyes from one child to the next.


End file.
